Often, medical devices such as catheters must be wetted by a liquid medium prior to use. As an example, it is typically desired to wet a medical device with an antimicrobial agent or with a substance for controlling the surface friction of the device. In one example, a medical catheter, e.g. a urinary catheter for draining the bladder, must be inserted into the body through a natural or artificial body passage, e.g. the urethra. To facilitate the insertion, a friction reducing substance is normally applied to the catheter. In the remaining part of this text, the invention is referred to in relation to a urinary catheter but the skilled person would readily derive other applications of the invention, e.g. catheters for blood vessels, respiratory system ventilation, etc.
Catheters for draining the bladder are used for intermittent as well as indwelling or permanent catheterisation. Typically, catheters are used by patients suffering from urinary retention, e.g. para- or tetraplegics who may have no control permitting voluntary urination. Catheters with low friction surface characteristics towards body tissue, e.g. a lubricated surface or a surface with a hydrophilic surface coating have been developed to facilitate insertion of the catheter into the body.
Typically, catheters are delivered in a completely sealed and sterilised package which, in addition to the catheter, may accommodate a substance which activates the low-friction characteristics of the catheter surface. Some of the existing packages provide the substance in a compartment which separates the substance from the catheter, e.g. in a pouch or in a small plastic bottle. Prior to the insertion of the catheter, the user must manipulate and empty the compartment for the content to be brought into contact with the catheter. Since the user's dexterity is sometimes reduced, the manipulation of the compartment inside the package can be difficult.